


no hello's, no goodbye's

by Rennie_5



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Domestic, M/M, Post-Canon, Professional Exy (All For The Game), Professional Exy Player Andrew Minyard, Professional Exy Player Neil Josten, Soft Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24775807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rennie_5/pseuds/Rennie_5
Summary: Set post canon when Neil visits Andrew at his apartment.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 3
Kudos: 108





	no hello's, no goodbye's

Neil focused on keeping his hands still, not wanting to betray the anxiety that always accompanied him on plane flights. Flights always gave him a twisted feeling of nostalgia. He remembered the countless amount of times he sat next to his mother on a seat, not unlike the one he was sitting on now. His mother was long dead, and instead, he was sitting next to an elderly woman who smelled like dust mites.   
He watched out the window, the clouds seemed to part as the plane began to descend.   
*  
He sat on an empty curb in the airport parking lot. The sun had set already, and Neil was beginning to feel drowsy. He fought to keep his eyes open and hugged his duffel to his chest, using it to prop his chin. The people walking past him with their luggage didn’t spare a glance on him, as he expected, he sighed outwardly, his breath coming out in steam. His invisibility made him feel at ease.   
A car parked at the curb he was sat at, the driver ignoring the double stripes. The car door opened and closed, and the driver stopped a few feet away from Neil. He looked up and was instantly met with the familiar warm feeling which made it feel like his insides would burst.   
Andrew looked the same as he had when Neil had last seen him, two months ago. Neil had not been expecting anything different, but the sight of Andrew made Neil ache in a way he would never get used to.   
Neil said, “Do you want a parking ticket?”   
Andrew’s eyes strayed to the double stripes and turned back around to get in the car.   
Neil’s knee’s cracked as he got up to get in the passenger seat. Andrew took the duffel bag out of his hands and dropped it in the back seat. The car vibrated slightly before coming to life.   
It had been two months, so Neil studied Andrew’s face. It had been two months, so Andrew let him.   
A Street light momentarily illuminated Andrew’s face, his dark eyes standing out from his pale face. The light turned red, the car stopped. Their eyes met, and his world stopped. Neil could not tell who the first to reach over was, but their lips met halfway. A meteor could have hit the earth and killed them all, and at that moment – Neil would have been fine with that. He breathed Andrew in, the faint taste of a cigarette on Andrew’s tongue making him sigh inwardly.   
Just as they had moved to kiss, they broke apart at the same time. Andrew kept his forehead pressed against Neil’s’ till green illuminated the space around them and he pulled away to face the road. Neil’s lips were still tingling from the kiss as the car drove on.   
The kiss had said hello, and another would later say goodbye. Nothing more needed to be said.   
The comforting silence in the car and Andrew’s presence made Neil’s eyelids droop further until he had pressed his forehead against the window and was pulled into a dreamless sleep.  
Andrew opening the passenger door woke him, and Andrew leaned over him to reach for the duffel. Neil didn’t bother taking it out of Andrew’s grip. Andrew didn’t say anything as they walked up the stairs to his apartment, but the silence was full of something. Their hands brushed as they walked to Andrew’s door.   
Andrew slid his key into the keyhole with ease and the door clicked open. As soon as Neil stepped into the apartment something coiled itself around his legs. He knelt and touched Sir’s soft head. The cat meowed expectantly at him and ran towards the kitchen. He shrugged off his coat and toed off his shoes, leaving them on the ground in the hallway.   
Andrew was in the kitchen, bent over Sir, and shaking out some cat treats into her bowl. Not including the comment about Andrew getting a parking ticket – they had not spoken since Neil got off his flight. Neil never minded the silence, with Andrew. The silence with him never felt quiet. Sometimes they could be silent for days, but Neil welcomed it.   
The creek in the floorboards was a tell-tale sign that Andrew had begun making his way over to Neil. His hand snaked up Neil’s neck and in his fingers, he took his chin – twisting it downwards. His eyes wandered over Neil’s face as if he were seeing it for the first time. Their eyes collided, and Neil was home.   
Andrew spoke for the first time. “When is your flight?”   
“Monday,” Neil replied, “5 am. I’m supposed to be back by the midday practices.” It was Friday evening.  
“Junkie.” Neil chose not to mention the fact that Andrew never neglected his mandatory practices. Andrew let go of his chin, he was close enough that Neil could count his blonde eyelashes. He saw several freckles on Andrew’s face, which had begun appearing again for the summer.   
*  
Neil let himself into the apartment, his hair sticking up from the sweat. Andrew was sitting on the couch with his knees pulled up to his chest, he was wearing a faded grey hoodie which Neil had left behind on one of his trips. He didn’t look up from his book when he spoke, “Take a shower.” Even though Andrew could not see, Neil grinned.   
When he came back from his shower, Andrew was no longer on the couch. Instead, he was sitting on the fire escape, his legs dangling over the side of the railing. Neil stopped by the kitchen to collect two mugs. He sat down crossed legged a few inches away from Andrew and handed him one of the steaming mugs. Andrew’s nose wrinkled, and he looked down into the mug with suspicion. Neil had made the mistake of using water for Andrew’s hot chocolate once, and Andrew had been cautious ever since. Neil had learned to use milk instead if he wanted to keep his vital organs.   
Neil waited until Andrew had raised the mug to his lips to start talking. “I’m thinking about ending the lease on my apartment in New York next year.” Andrew lowered his mug and tilted his head towards Neil to show he was listening. He continued, “I’ve been there for a while, and I figured I could join another team.” He looked away from Andrew, “I’ve gotten some offers.” He glanced back at Andrew, who was looking at him, unimpressed with his attempt at stalling. “Coach Truman called a few weeks back,” he said, “She said there’s a position next season.” He knew it was pointless to try and glimpse what Andrew was feeling by his expression, but he didn’t look away. He did not have to tell Andrew what he was getting at, he knew that by now Andrew would have figured it out.   
Four months ago, Neil had gone to one of Andrew’s games. His eyes never left Andrew, even as the game got interesting on the other side of the court.   
When the goalies were swapping at halftime, Coach Truman had gestured him over and asked, “Any particular reason as to why Neil fuckin’ Josten is here?” He’d stared back at her, unblinking. She sighed, so very much as Wymack had. She tilted her head, in the same Wymack had when he looked and Andrew and Neil. In the back of his mind, Andrew wondered if it was a universal coach thing. “Why anyone would willingly put up with you, Minyard, I don’t know,” her eyes sparkled, “but I’m glad you’ve got someone to rely on.” Andrew kept his eyes on her, not wanting her to feel as if she had proven something. She snorted, and he turned away from her.   
Across the stadium, Neil stood. They were separated by a court, and thousands of people – but Andrew felt as if he were standing beside Neil. He could almost feel Neil’s breath on his neck.

Andrew’s right eye twitched, and he said, “Your strategy to get what you want is as bad as it always has been,” there was a pause, “You know the answer. It’s a yes.” He did not say, “It’s always a yes.” But Neil knew it was there.   
Neil let himself smile, something that came easily to him when he was with Andrew. He thought of him playing on the same court as Andrew, on the same team.   
“I’ll call her when I get back.” He said.  
The warmth in his chest spread to the rest of his body.   
His now empty coffee mug lay discarded on its side, and both Andrew and Neil leaned on each other.   
*  
That night was filled with soft kisses and gentle hands, taking Neil apart. Andrew knew every inch of him, as he did with Andrew. There was nothing left unsaid with them, and they both fell asleep to the now-familiar weight of another person’s weight on the bed. Neither of them was plagued by dreams of the past, present, or future.  
*  
Neil’s mental clock woke him up early on Sunday morning, but he made no move to get up. Instead, he lay on his side, with Andrew’s back pressed against his and Neil’s arms around him, listening to Andrew’s soft breaths coming out slowly through his slightly opened mouth.   
At one point Andrew’s breathing changed, announcing his wake, but neither of them moved. They lay, listening to each other’s heartbeats. A soft mewl echoed in the room, and Sir jumped onto the bed. The weight of her paw’s stepping on Andrew’s side made him wave his hand in her vague direction – a failed attempt to get her to leave. Eventually, she pushed her way between them, and Andrew turned to face Neil, a slight crease in his brow as he studied the cat who was now licking herself clean. He said, “Bastard,” but still sank his hand into her fur.   
Neil heard himself saying, “We should get another one.”   
“You want another one of these vermin?” Andrew replied.   
“One cat is the same as two.”   
Andrew looked up at him, “That is bullshit. And you don’t need to convince me.”  
Neil felt his lips twitch.   
Andrew put his head back down onto his pillow, “This time we’re not letting Nicky name it.”   
Neil gave into the smile which was threatening to take over his face.   
*  
“You don’t need to drive me to the airport, Andrew,” Neil said, “I’ll call a taxi.”   
“Shut up,” Andrew replied with and left to get the car. Neil shrugged and followed him out into the parking lot. It was dark outside, and the streets seemed to be abandoned as they climbed into the car. Andrew twisted the car key and turned to check if Neil had put his duffel in the back – he had. Andrew had stubbornly not let Neil call a taxi, and was driving him to the airport at the crack of dawn.  
As he pulled out of the parking lot, he asked, “When are you coming next?”   
Neil said, “A month, I think.” A momentary silence fell, broken by Neil. “I’ll have to call Kevin to tell him about me switching team’s next season before it goes public.”   
“It’s none of his business.”  
“If I don’t, he’ll fly over and ask for an explanation.”   
“Let him,” Andrew said, “I know of a place to hide a body.”   
Neil shook his head, “No, I’m convinced Wymack put a tracker on him.”   
Andrew snorted, “A broken limb could humble him.”  
“I doubt it, last time he only bitched.”   
Just as he had done three days ago, Neil pressed his forehead against the window and let himself drift for the remainder of the journey. And just as he had done three days ago, he was woken up by the sound of the passenger door clicking open – letting the cool breeze hit his face. However, instead of going outside to face the cold – Andrew had leaned over Neil and opened the door from the inside. Neil reached for his duffel and began to step out of the car when something grabbed the bottom of his hoodie. Andrew pulled him back down and let his lips graze Neil’s for a fraction of a second. He moved away, his enlarged pupils meeting Neil’s for another short moment and then he let Neil go. Neither man said a thing vocally, but a silent conversation passed between them.   
Neil’s lips quirked, and Andrew’s pupils grew.   
They did not say goodbye, but they had never said hello.

**Author's Note:**

> so my inspiration came back to write this and not to add another chapter to A dream I'm living in? OK then.


End file.
